Strong
by Dream.Before.Nightmare
Summary: What is strength? Is it not showing your physical ability? Or is it something else? More importantly: Why did they call her strong? Piccolo x unnamed OC One-Shot


**_Thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, and favouriting! _**

**_I own nothing from the Dragon Ball series_**

**_A pretty okay one-shot for Piccolo. It might get a story, but to be honest it probably won't happen_**

**_Strong_**

He looked at her with contempt.

He remembered this was the girl that they called 'strong.'

There was no way she could be strong. She didn't even have a power level of 5 and that was average for a human.

She certainly wasn't strong in intelligence he knew that much. The girl had barely figured out how to work her car.

He wondered what strength was, especially to humans.

She wasn't completely ignorant, and found black eyes trying to dissect her. She automatically looked away. The Namekian always intimidated her but she wanted to know more about him. Nothing too personal, just what his business was still hanging around this apparently godforsaken planet. Earth was used to some aliens now and then, but she was sure this house had the largest concentration of them. Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and both Goku and Vegeta's kids were all here.

She wondered how or why.

How could someone as normal as her end up with these extraordinary people? Sure some of them didn't like her or had no feelings towards her at all, but that didn't mean she didn't admire them.

They could fly, they could fight, they could defend anything they wanted and they chose each other. They chose this planet and the people here.

She could hardly choose what to eat this morning and she could never stand up to anyone.

That is exactly why she needed to ask Piccolo, one day, why he sided with Goku, with Earth. Vegeta would have been good too, but she felt his alliance was made out of necessity, because his home was destroyed. Piccolo could go anywhere he wanted and yet it was here, in the same planet, the same house, the same room that they stayed.

And it was in the same room that they'd share something.

Piccolo came closer to her as the day went by and eventually they were standing quietly by one another.

He had forgotten how small she was. He was sure she was probably one of the weakest things he's encountered, yet instead of wanting to see her be completely crushed to see how fragile she was, he wanted to learn why she was called strong.

It was a preposterous thought.

"Why are you strong?"

She turned to look up at him. Did he just talk to her?

The words were muttered out. In his flurry of thoughts he let the question slip. This was a bad sign indeed. He only spoke when necessary, but then again, wasn't it necessary to ask? Now he wondered why he was preoccupied with this girl in the first place.

"I'm not strong," she finally whispered out.

Piccolo looked down. Of course she wasn't, then-

"People call you strong. Why?"

"Strong? Who would do that? I just sit around all day, waiting for you all to come back."

"Why bother to wait? Few of us ever return at once."

"Yes. I wait for when you all revive too."

"It sounds foolish."

"Sometimes I think that too, but I guess that's all I can do. Hope everyone comes back one way or another. It's hard losing friends all the time and my heart is broken each time."

Piccolo considered each word. He thought he was very close to deciphering them.

"Even for you Piccolo," she breathed.

The Namekian snapped his attention to the tiny, human girl.

He could hardly believe she said anything at all. She was turning red and looked away from him.

She didn't even remember saying that, but her body did. Her face warmed up and she automatically looked away from Piccolo. She didn't even know what she meant. Specifically him? Including him? Oh, what were words anymore?

"Oh…" she scowled and began to walk away, but Piccolo reached out for her. He understood now. He knew why they called her strong. He did not exactly agree with it, but it was clear. She was not physically strong, nor mentally, but emotionally.

Namekians didn't share so much sentiment. Their families were large and they all could fuse and regenerate. Dying wasn't something to cry over if not an honor as a warrior.

After his time being here on the planet Earth, he felt these pangs of true caring and considering she was a female human, he realized she was highly sensitive.

"Piccolo, please let go, that hurts," she said firmly.

He loosened his grip and opened his mouth to speak.

"I-"

She looked at her arm, red and white marks showed where the Namekian gripped her. Soon his hold slipped to her hand. His firm grasp scared her. She felt like she was in trouble.

"I understand… why you are strong… I am… sorry," was all he managed to say. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. No, everyone was outside enjoying themselves while she had to share a tense moment with this man.

"I'm sorry too. Sometimes I just let my emotions get the best of me. I hope for too much."

"No. I am sorry for the pain of not returning causes you. It's hard for you and yet you still have hope."

She laughed.

"Don't apologize. It's not even a big deal."

Piccolo was still trying to figure this woman out. How could she say such a thing?

She grabbed his hand and began to pull him along.

"Instead let's go outside," she suggested.

He couldn't understand her, and she still had so much to ask him, but they were glad that they shared something: their friends.

They were sure they'd have time to figure each other out. One way or another.


End file.
